Feeling like the house was bursting with people when I was a kid. Playing with cousins inside and outside. Watching Jeopardy with Grandma. Watching Grandpa eat grapefruit and toast and drink coffee at the kitchen table. Eating food. Eating more food. Playing games at the kitchen table like Scrabble and spoons and cards. Doing everything at the kitchen table. Playing upstairs with the dollhouse. Stepping on a tack while going up those stairs. Chinese checkers. Doing craft projects with Grandma and being reminded not to use the fabric scissors for paper because you have to segregate your scissors like that. Going into the fruit cellar and smelling the sweet smell of fruit. In my memory it always smells like pears. Puzzles on the card table in the front room. Sleeping over in the back room and saying prayers with Grandma. Especially that German prayer I can’t remember anymore. Cutting our Christmas tree in the field of trees that’s now taller than the house. Repainting the house. Remodeling the whole bathroom. Eating sweet rolls. Eating butter horns. Eating kolaches. Eating soda cracker bars. Getting slippers for Christmas. Walking down to the crick. Canoeing down the crick one snowy day with Dad then carrying the canoe back up the hill. Walking down the driveway to get the mail. Watching the birds. Especially the humming birds. The red checked dress. Always the red checked dress.
Grandma Schoeneck passed way on Monday, November 19th. She was born on January 29th, 1925 in Chicago, Illinois. 8 children, 19 grandchildren, 9 (soon to be 10) great-grandchildren. To me, her passing feels like the end of an era. Grandpa Lester passed away nearly 10 years ago and my Dad passed almost 6 years ago. I know I will always be part of the Schoeneck family and feel so blessed to have so many loving relatives. But, still, in a certain way it feels like my last direct connection to the Schoeneck’s passed with Grandma. It’s symbolic for sure, and more in my head than anything else. But it’s also part of the reason I feel so thankful that I got to say a nice long goodbye to Grandma’s house, including taking these photos and reflecting on all the memories.
What a fantastic post. Thank you for sharing this Jamie! Reading through your list of memories of Grandma's house warmed my heart. Throwing in those pictures brought back a rush of my own memories.
ReplyDeleteWatching Grandpa Lester down in the basement through that old air vent in the kitchen. Coming down those steps to Grandma's breakfast in the morning. The numerous cold winters I spent playing with Ginger & Fever outside. I'm lucky to have such sweet memories. I can't thank you enough for sharing yours.
You are a wonderful part of my family Jamie. Love you a lot! :)